Duo steps in for injured Jones

November 07, 2005|By Chicago Tribune.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Against a New Orleans defense determined to shut down the running game, Cedric Benson came off the bench after Thomas Jones was unable to play in the second half with injured ribs and led the Bears in rushing for the first time in his brief NFL career.

Benson began the winning drive with a 27-yard run, one of seven snaps on which his number was called on the drive.

"There was nothing but space," said Benson, who ran for 79 yards. "I didn't think there was ever that much space in the NFL. There's a lot of it out there."

And what Benson didn't do, Adrian Peterson did. He and Benson combined for 137 rushing yards and a touchdown that established something in the minds of teammates accustomed to relying almost exclusively on Jones for the rushing portion of their offense.

LOUDER NOW: Since the defense didn't show much fire in the first half, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera did in a halftime speech, giving an earful, most of which can't be repeated. "We felt we deserved it," linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said.

SKIPPED IT: The Tiger Stadium crowd booed when owner Tom Benson got mentioned in a video message about the Saints' Hurricane Katrina relief fund. Benson didn't attend, one week after getting into a quarrel with a heckling fan and swatting at a TV camera.

Those incidents prompted Benson to fire off an angry e-mail to Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Benson's granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, did attend. She's Benson's heir-apparent for a franchise with a very uncertain future. The Saints have two more games at Tiger Stadium.

GET COMFY: If the Bears seemed extra motivated, it may have been because coaches said sweats would be allowed instead of suits on the flight home if they won. "This feels good," said Benson, pulling on his casuals.